bus

[buhs]

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noun, plural bus·es, bus·ses.

a large motor vehicle, having a long body, equipped with seats or benches for passengers, usually operating as part of a scheduled service; omnibus.

a similar horse-drawn vehicle.

a passenger automobile or airplane used in a manner resembling that of a bus.

any vehicle operated to transport children to school.

a low, movable filing cabinet.

Electricity. Also called bus bar, bus·bar

[buhs-bahr] /ˈbʌsˌbɑr/. a heavy conductor, often made of copper in the shape of a bar, used to collect, carry, and distribute powerful electric currents, as those produced by generators.

Computers. a circuit that connects the CPU with other devices in a computer.

verb (used with object), bused or bussed, bus·ing or bus·sing.

to convey or transport by bus: to bus the tourists to another hotel.

to transport (pupils) to school by bus, especially as a means of achieving socioeconomic or racial diversity among students in a public school.

verb (used without object), bused or bussed, bus·ing or bus·sing.

to travel on or by means of a bus: We bused to New York on a theater trip.

Idioms

throw under the bus. throw(def 57).

Origin of bus

1825–35; short for omnibus; (def 6) short for omnibus bar

Can be confusedbussed bust

bus

[buhs]

verb (used with or without object), bused or bussed, bus·ing or bus·sing.

to work or act as a busboy or busgirl: She bused for her meals during her student days.

Origin of bus

First recorded in 1830–40; back formation from busboy

bus.

business.

Mosbacher

[maws-bak-er, mos-]

noun

Emil, Jr.Bus, 1922–1997, U.S. yacht racer and government official.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for bus

integrate

Examples from the Web for bus

Contemporary Examples of bus

Occasionally a pamphlet for a salsa class might be tossed on a doorstop or stuck on a pole near a bus stop.
Iran’s Becoming a Footloose Nation as Dance Lessons Spread
IranWire
January 2, 2015
The detectives learned early on that Brinsley had arrived by bus in Manhattan.
Exclusive: Inside a Cop-Killer’s Final Hours
Michael Daly
December 31, 2014
At the music studio, Brinsley would arrive by train or bus to break into the music scene.
Alleged Cop Killer’s Blood-Soaked Screenplay
M.L. Nestel
December 24, 2014
In the video, the bus is getting searched by a cop with a German shepherd.
Alleged Cop Killer Ismaaiyl Brinsley Had a Death Wish
M.L. Nestel
December 22, 2014
A few children, settler children, congregate near what appears to have been the bus station.
Inside Hebron, Israel’s Heart of Darkness
Michael Tomasky
November 21, 2014

Historical Examples of bus

He had hoped that they would walk home or that they would get on to a 'bus!
The Foolish Lovers
St. John G. Ervine
A 'bus drove up as he reached the corner, and he climbed into it.
The Foolish Lovers
St. John G. Ervine
"That's a nice day," he said, when the 'bus had gone some distance.
The Foolish Lovers
St. John G. Ervine
The 'bus was now rolling over London Bridge, and the Cathedral could not be seen.
The Foolish Lovers
St. John G. Ervine
"You 'op on top, an' I'll tell you where to git off," the 'bus conductor said, and John did as he was bid.
The Foolish Lovers
St. John G. Ervine

British Dictionary definitions for bus

bus

noun plural buses or busses

a large motor vehicle designed to carry passengers between stopping places along a regular routeMore formal name: omnibus Sometimes called: motorbus

short for trolleybus

(modifier) of or relating to a bus or busesa bus driver; a bus station

informal a car or aircraft, esp one that is old and shaky

electronics computing short for busbar

the part of a MIRV missile payload containing the re-entry vehicles and guidance and thrust devices

astronautics a platform in a space vehicle used for various experiments and processes

miss the bus to miss an opportunity; be too late

verb buses, busing, bused, busses, bussing or bussed

to travel or transport by bus

mainly US and Canadian to transport (children) by bus from one area to a school in another in order to create racially integrated classes

Word Origin for bus

C19: short for omnibus

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for bus

1832, abbreviation of omnibus (q.v.). The modern English noun is nothing but a Latin dative plural ending. To miss the bus, in the figurative sense of "lose an opportunity," is from 1901, Australian English (OED has a figurative miss the omnibus from 1886). Busman's holiday "leisure time spent doing what one does for a living" (1893) is probably a reference to London bus drivers riding the buses on their days off.

1838, "to travel by omnibus," from bus (n.). Transitive meaning "transport students to integrate schools" is from 1961, American English. Meaning "clear tables in a restaurant" is first attested 1913, probably from the four-wheeled cart used to carry dishes. Related: Bused; busing.